--- title: "Mark Zuckerberg Tries to Explain Why the Metaverse Is Great, Gets Attack of the Hiccups Instead" description: "While trying to explain the pros of the metaverse, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared unable to stop hiccuping for some reason." date: "2022-12-01" modified: "2022-12-01" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/mark-zuckerberg-metaverse-hiccups" categories: - "Future Society" - "Metaverse" - "Virtual Reality" tags: - "hiccups" - "mark zuckerberg" - "metaverse" - "the digest" --- # Mark Zuckerberg Tries to Explain Why the Metaverse Is Great, Gets Attack of the Hiccups Instead ![While trying to explain the pros of the metaverse, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg appeared unable to stop hiccuping for some reason.]() *\Image: Kevin Dietsch via Getty / Futurism\* ## Hic-What? While trying to explain the pros of the metaverse in an interview that took place within said metaverse, [Meta-formerly-Facebook]() CEO Mark Zuckerberg ran into a few hiccups — literally. In an [interview with the *New York Times*](), both Zuckerberg's real self and his virtual avatar struggled against hiccups as he explained to Andrew Ross Sorkin, the founder of the paper's DealBook newsletter and conference, why the metaverse could be a boon for the business world. "Sorry," the Facebook founder admitted. "I have the hiccups." "I just pounded my lunch really quickly before getting in here," he added. https://twitter.com/dealbook/status/1598049549905408000 ## Cry More Zuckerberg pushed hard for his metaverse vision in the interview, saying that "if you’re getting skepticism, you’re pushing hard enough." He also bragged that his company's [$1,500 Oculus Pro virtual reality device]() has advanced expression-translating capabilities that it brings to the metaverse, though his point was undercut by his own virtual mouth barely moving as he talked. This isn't the first Zuckerberg has struggled with optics while pushing the so-far-underwhelming vision. Just after Facebook — ok, fine, Meta — made history for the [largest single-day stock selloff ever]() in the beginning of 2022, for instance, the founder was [seen with red eyes]() in an all-hands meeting with staff. Like with the hiccups, Zuckerberg acknowledged the weirdness and told employees that if he looked like he'd been crying, it was only because he'd scratched his cornea. In a sense, you gotta hand it to the man: he's sacrificed [$700 billion in company value]() and his own dignity in his quest to make the metaverse a real thing that people want to use. And he's not letting a few hiccups along the road stop him. **More on Zuckerberg:** [*Former Facebook Exec Says Zuckerberg Has Surrounded Himself With Sycophants*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()